Return To This Ugly Yet Beautiful World
by moviefan-92
Summary: A new, happier ending to the show. Takes place 5 years after the anime. Takeru spots a familiar light in the sky. Hoping it's Hikari, he rushing towards it. OneShot. COMPLETE


**(A/N: For those of you, like me, that loved the series but were disappointed by the ending, I present to you what happens five years after Hikari and Akari left. Hope you enjoy the story.)**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing.**

**"****RETURN TO THIS UGLY YET BEAUTIFUL WORLD"**

Five years. It had been five years since they left. But Takeru Takemoto would never forget them. Especially _her_. She was the one he really missed.

The two people he was thinking about were Hikari and Akari Hoshino. The two girls that came from space. Takeru would always remember their time on Earth. They were the greatest and worst days of his life.

"Hikari…" Takeru whispered the name of his lost love. How he longed to hold her once again. Even after all these years he was still hopelessly in love with her. But why did she of all people have to be the one destined to destroy all life on Earth.

Hikari, she was The Light as well as The Goddess of Darkness. Her purpose was meant to absorb all life and then allow it to be reborn. She had done it countless times and would do it again.

_'No!'_ Takeru told himself. _'That's not Hikari. The Hikari I know and love would never do such a thing. It's The Darkness within her. That is what destroys all life. It just acts through Hikari.'_

Takeru sighed and looked up at the star that appeared after Hikari and Akari left. He wondered if they would still be here if Hikari's dark side had never emerged. But he supposed that it had been inevitable. Hikari's purpose was to destroy all life. It couldn't be helped.

'_Yes, it could.'_ He thought. _'We stopped it, didn't we?'_

Yes, they had stopped the mass extinction. It hadn't been easy either. Hikari and Akari had originally been one being. But they split in two after seeing into the hearts of Takeru and his friend Ryo. Thus Hikari and Akari were born, the one to bring forth the end of the world and the one to try and stop it.

Hikari had tried to hold back her dark side, but she couldn't. The destruction began. Hikari's dark side had begun absorbing life so that it could be reborn. But they had stopped it. They had stopped the mass extinction. But they lost Hikari and Akari in the process. The two of them still had a job to do. They had to find a place for the life Hikari had absorbed to go to. They said they would be back, but they never said when.

'_When, Hikari? When are you coming back?'_

"Takeru?"

He snapped out of his thoughts when his name was called. His cousin, Mari, was standing in his doorway.

"Oh, hey, Mari." He replied.

Mari frowned. "You're thinking about her again, aren't you?"

Takeru sighed. "I miss her."

Mari gave him a sad smile. "So do I."

It was true too. Regardless of how jealous she had been about Takeru and Hikari's relationship, she did miss the strange girl that had lit up their world. Mari knew that he still loved her, and always would. Perhaps it was that reason that allowed her to get over her feelings for him.

"Do you need anything?" she asked.

Takeru shook his head, giving his cousin a small smile. "No thanks, Mari. I'll be fine."

Mari didn't return the smile. She hated seeing her cousin like this, but what could she do? "Ok then. Dinner will be ready soon." She said, and left the room.

Takeru sighed and looked back up at the sky. He wondered where Hikari and Akari were now. Were they lonely with just the two of them? Were they being forced to battle each other over what to do with life on another planet? Were they currently destroying life on another world, or allowing life to start again? So many questions he just didn't have the answer to.

'_Hikari, I love you.'_

Takeru was sitting with his family eating dinner when the phone rang. Mari immediately volunteered to answer it as she hopped over to the phone.

"Hey, Takeru! Ryo's on the phone for you!" she called.

"Tell him we're eating and he'll call back later." Itchō replied.

Mari repeated her father's message, but apparently Ryo insisted on speaking to Takeru immediately.

"He says it's very important."

Itchō sighed. "Alright, but make it quick."

Takeru excused himself and went to answer the phone. He heard Ryo's little sister, Kimi, screaming excitedly about something in the background.

"Hey, Ryo, what's up?" he said.

"_Takeru, look out the window, quick!"_ Ryo cried.

Takeru blinked. "Why?"

"_Just look!"_

Takeru shrugged and did as he was told. His eyes widened as the phone dropped from his hand.

"It can't be…" he muttered.

"_Hello. Hello! Takeru! Takeru, are you there? Do you see it?"_

But Takeru was already gone. The moment he realized what he was seeing, he had transformed into his E.D. form and jumped out the window, not even bothering to open it.

The thing that Takeru had seen was something he had been longing to see for years, even though he didn't think he ever would see it again. It was a beam of light, exactly the same kind he had seen when he had first found Hikari. Could it possibly be that she and Akari had returned?

As much as he wanted to have Hikari back, he had to remember that her coming meant the end of life on Earth. But that wasn't why he had transformed. No, he had transformed because he was so desperate to see the woman he loved again.

Takeru wasn't sure how he knew, but his instincts told him where to go. It wasn't until after he had changed back to normal did he realize that he was at the very same spot he had originally found Hikari at.

The beam of ight continued circling overhead; almost as if it were searching for something. Then, almost as if it had reached a decision, The Light came down, landing a few feet away from Takeru.

Blinded by The Light's intensity, Takeru was forced to shut his eyes. It was so bright that he couldn't see anyway. That The Light didn't affect his hearing, and he clearly heard a sweet angelic voice call his name.

"Takeru."

Slowly, Takeru opened his eyes. He blinked a few times to clear his vision. But slowly, from within The Light, two figures floated towards him.

"Takeru." The voice repeated.

He rubbed his eyes, trying to see clearly. When he actually saw what, or more precise, who was standing before him, he had to rub his eyes again to make sure he wasn't seeing things.

And he wasn't. Two young women were standing before him. They were older and more mature looking now, but their identity was unmistakable. It was Hikari and Akari.

"Takeru."

"H-Hikari…" he whispered.

The girl whose name he spoke ran forward, throwing her arms around him, not seeming to care about her nudity in the least.

"Hikari, is it really you?" he asked.

The girl nodded against him. "It is. I came back to you."

"We both did." Said Akari, walking towards them.

Tears began rolling down Takeru's cheeks. "I didn't think I'd ever see you again."

Hikari was too busy kissing him all over his face to answer, so Akari gave the explanation. "We just had to bring the new life we created to another world. But now we're back."

Takeru held Hikari tightly. "How long?" he asked, fearing the answer. He couldn't bear to lose Hikari again.

Hikari finally stopped kissing him long enough to answer. "For good."

Takeru's heart was pounding. "For good?" he repeated.

Hikari nodded. "Yes. No longer do we have to destroy and create. We are now completely human."

Takeru didn't see how that was possible. "But I thought you said that you had to continue with your work."

"I will be continuing it." Came a voice from within The Light.

The Light faded away and a younger version of Hikari appeared; the only difference being that her hair was a shade lighter and her eyes were red.

"You," Takeru muttered, "you're Hikari's dark side."

The Hikari copy nodded. "I am. You may call me, Dākuraito." **(AN: Her name means 'Dark Light'.)**

"Dākuraito?" Takeru repeated.

"Indeed." She said. "I was the original destroying. I was a force of destruction and birth. I came to this world to destroy all life and then begin life anew. But when yours and Ryo's hearts called out, Hikari and Akari were born. They were created from your hearts, and I was locked away until the time for destruction came."

"She let us come back." Said Hikari. "We are no longer needed."

"No longer needed?" Takeru repeated. "What do you mean?"

"We were originally one being." Dākuraito explained. "Akari was the part of me that loved life and wished for it to continue as it was. Hikari was supposed to be the one that wished to destroy all life so it could start again. But you locked that desire away, and it became me. I must still do what I was meant to do. But they are no longer needed."

"Why?"

Dākuraito smiled. "Because even though they are now separate beings from me, I now understand them. But I must still continue with my work. I must continue the cycle of death and rebirth."

Takeru felt his E.D. form beginning to surface. "You're not going to try and destroy life on Earth again, are you?"

Dākuraito shook her head. "No, not this time. I am sparing this planet's life for now. I return to each world that has life every 100 billion years. Life on this planet will continue until I return. But the next time I come, I cannot guaranty that I will be able to spare this world's life a second time." She smiled. "It all depends on if I see those living worthy enough to continue with their lives, or if it would be better to begin life over again."

Takeru nodded in understanding. "Then we will have to make sure this planet's life is worthy in your eyes."

Dākuraito chuckled. "You will not be around then. No one alive now will be. But perhaps the descendants of the two of you will be."

Takeru and Hikari blushed.

"Sister, you're embarrassing them." Said Akari.

Dākuraito just smiled. "Why? It is bound to happen. The two of them are as close together as possible, bound together for all eternity. You know this to be true."

"You're still embarrassing them."

Dākuraito just snickered. "I must go now. I am already five years behind schedule. Just do me this favor, even though I am a taker and giver of life, please remember me."

The three of them nodded. "We will." said Takeru.

Dākuraito nodded. "Thank you." she said. _'And know this, Takeru.'_ She told him telepathically, as her body turned to Light once again. _'I too will always love you.'_

The Light soared upward, vanishing in the darkness of space as it moved towards its next destination. The three of them weren't sure how long they stood there watching the sky, but finally Takeru spoke.

"Come on, lets go home."

"Home." Hikari repeated, holding onto him tightly.

"Home." Said Akari happily.

'_Home is where the heart is.'_

(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)-(-)

Far away in America, Jennifer Portman was finishing her 12th beer for the day when her crystal necklace began to glow.

"What's this?" she said drunkenly.

There was a flash of light as Ioneos and Kuon appeared, the former sitting on top of Jennifer.

"We're back!" Ioneos announced, as Kuon flew around happily.

**THE END**

**(A/N: Wasn't that sweet. I think I made it a little too sappy though. I just had to do something since I was so dissatisfied with the way the anime ended. I decided to give Hikari's darker half the name Dākuraito, meaning dark light, as opposed to Hikari's name, which means light. So tell me what you think. Was it good, was it bad? I love to hear your comments.)**


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